


Cold And Empty

by bucketofbarnes



Category: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Cal Kestis Needs a Hug, Gen, Hurt Cal Kestis, Psychometry, Sith Artifacts (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29770014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bucketofbarnes/pseuds/bucketofbarnes
Summary: The floor was covered in so much blood that it was practically painted red, disturbed only by the staggering amount of bones. What must have been the remains of hundreds of people covered the floor. And right in the middle of all this death, was a single pedestal, something dark resting on top of it.A Gem.Or: Post-Game, The Mantis Crew decide to follow in Cordova's footsteps and find ancient civilisations and artifacts. Cal soon discovers that they may be in over their heads.
Relationships: BD-1 & Cal Kestis, Cal Kestis & The Mantis Crew, Cere Junda & Cal Kestis
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Cold And Empty

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Angelwithbrokenwings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelwithbrokenwings/gifts).



> Written as a birthday fic for @Angelwithbrokenwings :)

Cal squinted against the light filtering through the cracks in the ceiling of the old temple. Once a proud, elaborate building, it had been reduced to ruins on the verge of crumbling into dust. Many of the doorways were blocked by rubble and what had likely once been beautiful murals were peeling away in sections. But he could still feel the powerful Force signature pulsing from within.

After they had destroyed the Holocron, the Mantis crew had toyed with the idea of joining the Rebellion. But as tempting as it had been to join the fight, to avenge those that they had lost, Cere and Cal knew that they were in no place to throw themselves into such a fight. 

Cere's battle with the Dark Side was still ongoing, especially after her brief relapse back on Nur. And Cal still frequently woke up with his heart pounding in his chest, that horrible, grating breathing ringing in his ears, the scar on his chest burning. 

And so as much as it pained them, they knew that they would have to take care of themselves first.

However, neither of them did all that well staying cooped up inside. And so Cere had suggested that they follow in Cordova's footsteps and track down old Force Artifacts. After all, the fewer of them in the hands of the Empire, the better. And while it may not have been the same as facing their armies head on, they were still assisting in the efforts to keep them from gaining any further power.

As a result, Cal had seen more ruins than he could count on both hands by this point. And yet, it still saddened him to see the state that these buildings were now in.

He turned a corner and froze as something beneath his boot crunched. His heart leapt as for a moment, he thought that he had activated a trap. Looking down, he found that that wasn't the case. However, he wouldn't go as far as to say that he was relieved as he took in the sight of the now broken bone beneath his boot. 

Following the bone upwards, he caught sight of the skeleton half buried beneath a pile of rubble. 

"Sorry." He winced as he lifted his foot, planting it in a safer spot.

BD-1's head popped up over his shoulder as he gave an inquisitive beep, scanning their surroundings from his perch. 

"I'm fine lil' buddy." Cal said, staring down at the bones. "I just need to watch my step."

Making his way deeper into the Temple, following that same Force signature and paying better attention to his surroundings this time, his heart began to sink. With every step he took, he was beginning to notice more and more bones littered around the ruins. And while the first body could have been explained by something as simple as a building collapse, these new skeletons could not.

Weapons were scattered amongst the bones, old blood spattering the walls. The further he went, the more certain he became that something deeply,  _ deeply _ wrong had occurred here. 

BD seemed just as discomforted, beeping quietly. 

"No, I don't know what's happened here." Cal said, weaving through a gap in a debris filled hallway. "But it can't have been good."

He finally came to the room that the Force signature was coming from. The doors to the room were  _ massive _ . Covered in elaborate carvings that were only slightly diminished by time. Planting his hands on the doors, he grunted as he heaved them open. The hinges creaked and groaned in protest, but eventually gave into his efforts. 

Cal stepped into the room and coughed as the dust that was heavy in the air entered his lungs. He wrinkled his nose at the horrible smell coming from all around him.

"Guessing no one's been here in a while." 

BD scanned the dust, trilling in disgust as some of it landed on his head. He had to agree.

The Jedi squinted, trying to see the room clearer with the little light that was coming through the open door. Giving up, he drew his lightsaber and ignited it, the yellow glow casting softly throughout the room. 

BD squealed, hunkering down on his back, as if to hide from what the light revealed. Cal wished he could too. 

The floor was covered in so much blood that it was practically  _ painted _ red, disturbed only by the staggering amount of bones. What must have been the remains of hundreds of people covered the floor. 

Cal was no stranger to death. After all, he'd been a Padawan at the height of the Clone Wars. He'd taken many lives himself since then in the name of survival. But this? The sheer amount of death in this one room was horrific. That sinking feeling that had worsened the deeper he got into the Temple suddenly made so much sense.

And right in the middle of all this death, was a single pedestal, something dark resting on top of it. 

It was the object that he'd been tracking.

Cal stared at the pedestal. Even though something in him was screaming that he should leave  _ right now _ , he had come here for a reason hadn't he? This was a powerful object. He couldn't let the Empire find it and get their hands on it.

He crept closer to the pedestal, stepping carefully over the chaos that was on the ground, until he came to a stop right before it. 

On the top of the pedestal, held securely in a stand made out of what could only be gold, was a red gem. A deep, dark red, any other gem would have glittered in the light coming from his saber. But this gem… it almost seemed to be  _ sucking _ the light into it. Consuming it greedily.

It was a Sith Artifact. 

His breath caught in his lungs as he stared down at the gem. He'd never seen a Sith Artifact before. He'd known they existed. Of  _ course _ he did. He'd been taught what to look out for, what to avoid, when he was still in the Crèche. But that had been as far as the teachings went. He hadn't had the chance to learn anything more extensive. He quickly realised just how unprepared he was for this.

He didn't know what to do with it. 

It was as he was reaching for his comm to call Cere to ask for her advice that he heard the footsteps. His body tensed and he turned around just in time to see someone enter the room. The figure stood in the doorway, staring at him in a way that had him gripping his saber tightly.

They stepped into the room, and the light revealed a tall, disheveled man wearing the tattered, blood stained remains of what looked to have once been robes. From what little of the original colour that he could see beneath the stains, he was sure that they matched the colours that he had seen on some of the murals. 

It seemed that this place wasn't as abandoned as he had thought.

"Another one." The man said, his voice so hoarse that it almost made Cal wince. "Another thief. You want the Stone."

"It belongs to you?" Cal asked. "I thought this place was abandoned. I didn't come here to steal from you."

"Liar." He let out a cackle that sent shivers running down the Jedi's spine. "They always want the Stone.  _ Always. _ "

As the man got closer, Cal noticed the staff he held in his hand. Both ends had sharp, wicked looking blades on the end, both clearly having been used before. The look in the man's eyes was unhinged, worse than even Malicos' had been during that final battle. 

"What happened here?" He asked, stepping back cautiously, holding his still lit saber in front of him. "What happened to all these people?"

"They all wanted the Stone." The blade of the staff dragged across the floor. "They wanted it for themselves."

Cal opened his mouth to question him further, but was forced to leap back as the man charged towards him, staff first. His saber flew up to block the attack. He hadn't been expecting the sheer amount of strength that the man had behind his swing, and his surprise must have been clean on his face, for the man grinned down at him.

"The Stone gives me strength." He crooned, bearing down harder on the staff. "It called to me, chose  _ me _ , out of everyone here."

"What are you talking about?!" Cal yelled, frustration boiling over. "It's a gemstone! How could it call you?!"

The Jedi spun to get out from beneath the staff, darting behind him and kicking him in the back. The man stumbled forward, catching himself on the pedestal. He stopped and stared at the gem, gazing into its bottomless depths, captivated. 

_ "You." _ The man turned to face him, wild eyes filled with hatred as he gripped his staff so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Cal readied his saber. A sick, nervous feeling was crawling over him. He didn't know what was happening. Why the man was acting like this. But something was  _ wrong _ .

_ "You will not take it from me!"  _ The man roared. He lunged towards Cal, staff swinging wildly. 

Every hit that he blocked seemed to get harder and harder. His opponent was moving faster with every attack. And that horrible feeling was getting worse and worse by the second until he just wanted to run away. 

A final hit knocked him back so hard that he fell and he cried out as he hit the ground. The man advanced once more, and it was as Cal was trying to stand back up that his hand touched the ground and everything went white. 

_ Screams filled the room as people were being cut down all around her. Silya gripped the blade in her hand desperately, looking for an opening in the writhing mass of people.  _

_ Someone lunged towards her and she grabbed them by their robes, throwing them away from her and into the path of someone else's attack. Another person cut down.  _

_ A small part of her was horrified by what was happening. She knew these people. She'd lived with them for years. This was all wrong. They were her friends. None of this would have happened if Falynn hadn't brought back that strange gem that he'd dug up. _

_ The Stone.  _

_ Her eyes caught sight of it through the crowd and she felt it grab hold of her once more. It sank it's claws into her mind, singing to her. Telling her all the things she could have, all the power that she could gain. If only she would come and claim it.  _

_ She shoved her way through the crowd, not even paying attention to what she was doing to anyone who got in her way. She didn't care. All that mattered was the Stone.  _

_ Silya finally made it to the pedestal, and she gazed into the dark depths of the Stone. She had it. It was hers.  _

_ Reaching down, her fingers had just brushed it's smooth surface when she was pulled away by the back of her robes. She spun around in fury, prepared to fight for what was hers. Falynn glared down at her, and with one final swing of his staff, everything went dark.  _

Cal curled up on the ground, shaking violently in the aftermath of the vision, tears pouring down his cheeks. He could hear BD beeping frantically in his ear, feel him tugging at his jacket with one of his tiny claws.

The man, _ Falynn _ , was still coming.

He had to get up.

His hand shot out to grab his dropped saber, and he barely managed to bring it up in time to block the next swing. 

"You all killed each other." He sobbed. _ "Why?" _

_ "They wanted the Stone!" _ Falynn cried, his eyes wide and insistent, almost like he wanted Cal to  _ understand _ . "It was  _ mine _ ! I  _ never  _ should have brought it back here!"

Cal rolled out from underneath him, scrambling to his feet. He tried to calm his gasping breaths. He couldn't afford to panic while he was in the middle of a fight. He had to get it together. 

"BD." He croaked. The little droid perked up on his back. "Get ready. You know what to do."

Falynn lashed out once again and Cal blocked the attack, getting in close enough that BD was able to leap from his shoulder with ease and land on the other man's arm. Skittering up the limb quickly, BD landed on his shoulder and shocked him, screeching all the while. 

Falynn cried out in pain, falling to his knees as his body seized.

_ "No!"  _ He wailed, reaching for the Stone, even as his body failed him. Cal didn't hesitate. 

Falynn's body fell to the ground and lay still. 

An eerie silence fell over the room, broken only by Cal's heaving breaths. He stared down at Falynn, trembling, before falling to his knees and retching as everything just became too much. 

He buried his face in his hand after, trying desperately to calm himself down. He could feel BD cuddled up against his leg, trying to offer what little comfort he could. His eyes burned at the actions of the little droid. He was more grateful for his presence at his side than he could ever say. 

Placing a hand on BD's head in thanks, he sat up, purposely avoiding looking at Falynn. He stared at the gemstone, the root of all of this chaos, still sat so innocently on the pedestal.

Cal could feel it brushing against his mind even now, trying to entice him as it had everyone here. A sudden burning, _ seething _ hatred overtook him at the sheer sight of the cursed object and he flung himself to his feet. Grabbing his saber, he stormed towards the pedestal and swung at it with a scream of rage. 

His saber hit the Stone and it shattered, a wave of force exploding from it that blew him backwards. 

Cal lay there for a moment, relieved that he couldn't feel the Stone's slimy presence brushing against his mind anymore. Scrubbing his face with his hand to try and banish the last remnants of his tears, he looked over at BD, still standing loyally at his side. 

"I really wanna go home." He croaked. The droid whined in agreement, and Cal pushed past the deep ache settling into his body to stand up. 

Gazing at the destruction surrounding him one last time, he dragged his saber along the ground, letting the sparks catch the edge of an old rug. The flames began to spread, consuming everything in their path. 

He didn't look back. 

* * *

By the time they reached the bottom of the Mantis' ramp, his entire body was aching horrifically. BD had jumped down off of his shoulder halfway through the journey back, choosing to run alongside him when he noticed how much even the droid's small weight on his shoulder was hurting his friend. 

He'd never been so relieved to see the ship before. He walked up the ramp and stepped into the ship, taking in the sight of Merrin meditating on the couch. He could hear Greez cursing in the cockpit, likely watching a game of some kind on the holoscreen. The soothing sounds of Cere playing her Halikset drifted down the corridor and for the first time in hours, he felt  _ safe _ . 

"You are back." Merrin smiled, eyes opening. "How was your journey?"

She froze as soon as she saw him. Honestly, Cal didn't even want to think about what he probably looked like. Clothes stained and ripped, his eyes red and face blotchy. 

_ Force _ , he wanted to burn these clothes. 

"What happened?" Merrin shot up from the couch, striding over to him. She stopped in front of him, her hands hovering in the air as if she was afraid to touch him in case she hurt him. 

He was overcome with a wave of fondness for his friends that was so strong that it almost choked him. 

"You are bleeding." She said, staring down at his side with wide, concerned eyes. Cal frowned, reaching down and pulling back his jacket, staring at the long slash across his side. He didn't even remember getting it. 

"Oh." He breathed. It seemed this was the final straw, as his legs gave out beneath him. 

"Cal!" Merrin caught him, lowering him down to the ground gently. He buried his face in her shoulder, feeling a little bad that he was probably ruining her clothes, but it felt nice. He just wanted to stay here. 

He vaguely heard her call for Cere and Greez, but he was just too tired to move. Arms slid beneath him, lifting him into the air, and being carried away was the last thing he felt before he drifted off. 

* * *

Cal turned his face into the pillow beneath his head as he woke, groaning softly. While his body was still aching, it was thankfully nowhere near as bad as before. 

Opening his eyes, he jumped at the sight of BD a matter of inches away from his face, staring at him intently. Seeing that he was now awake, the droid squealed excitedly, bringing a small smile to Cal's face. 

"Yeah, it's good to see you too, buddy." He said, stroking the droid's head. 

"How are you feeling?" He looked over to the doorway to see Cere leaning against it. 

"Fine." 

"Really?" Her eyebrow raised, and she walked over to sit on the edge of his bed. 

"Well… better than before."

"That's not hard." She sighed. "You got lucky. Lost a lot of blood."

Cal placed a hand on his side, feeling the slight bulk of a Medpatch beneath his shirt. 

"Cal? What happened?"

He looked away, picking at the edge of his blanket. BD cuddled into his side again, and that was what gave him the strength to speak.

"It was a Sith Artifact." He said, shivering as he remembered the darkness of the stone. 

Cere didn't respond. When he looked over at her again, she was frozen, her eyes wide as she stared down at him. "A Sith…?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "It was…  _ calling  _ people. Manipulating them. The people in that Temple… they  _ killed _ each other. All for a  _ Stone _ ."

"Cal, I…" Cere grabbed his hand, holding it gently. "I'm sorry."

He frowned up at her. "What?"

"I sent you after that artifact. I should have found more information on it first."

"This isn't your fault."

"I should have prepared you for this." She insisted. "Should have known that this would happen. I just didn't  _ think…" _

"Cere." He said firmly, waiting until she met his eyes. "It's not your fault."

She stared at him, searching his face for something. Whatever she was looking for, she must have found because she slumped on the bed, rubbing a hand across her face. 

"Okay." She conceded. "But that still doesn't explain why you're hurt."

"There was someone left. He thought I was going to take the Stone." He swallowed as he remembered the look in Falynn's eyes.

"The Stone corrupted him."

"It tried to corrupt  _ me _ ." Cere gripped his hand tighter. "I could feel it in my mind. It was dark, and…  _ hungry _ ."

"What did you do with it?" She asked. Cal was hurt for a moment, as he realised that she was wondering if he had taken the Stone with him, but that hurt died when he realised that she was just worried for him. 

"I destroyed it. Burned what was left of the Temple down before I left." He admitted. 

"Good." She said, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "Now let me ask you this again. How are you feeling?"

"Just… the artifact is gone. I know that. But everything still just feels…"

"Wrong." There was a knowing look in her eyes, and Cal wondered if this feeling was what she had been dealing with ever since the Purge. If it was, she was even stronger than he'd thought. "It'll pass, Cal."

"Has it for you?" He felt brave enough to ask. She looked down.

"Not yet." She admitted. "But it's getting better. After all, I have help." 

Cal smiled at her, squeezing her hand, hoping she got at least a little bit of the comfort that she had given to him. Judging by the softening of her eyes, she had. 

Standing up from the bed, she reached down and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders as BD hopped up the bed to settle next to Cal's head on his pillow. 

"Get some rest." She said, smoothing the blankets down. "We'll all be here when you wake up."

Closing his eyes again and snuggling into the warmth of the blanket, Cal let himself drift back off, content that his friends would keep him safe. 

**Author's Note:**

> bucketofbarnes.tumblr.com


End file.
